Oil-water and air separator



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ATTORNEYS E. H. STEPHAN Filed March 14, 1927 May 28, E929.

OIL WATER AND AIR SEPARATOR Patented May 28, 1929.

F F I C E .p

EMIL E. STEPHAN, OF BRIDGMAN, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM H. GAST',` OF

BRIDGMAN, MICHIGAN.

OIL-WATER AND AIR SEPARATOR.

Application led March 14, 1927; Serial No. 175,354.

My invention relates to improvements in devlces for separatlng oil and water from air,

. and it consists .in the combinations, construotions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

It frequently happens that in operations making use of compressed air,`oil or water Will get into the pipe lines and will seriously interfere with the working. Thus in pneumatic tools, such as riveters or hammers, water is often carried along with the air, and if the temperature is low where the operations are being carried out, the Water will freeze and temporarily put such tool outof commission. In other instances, oil may get into the air line and may be deposited on some place where its presence would prove injurious, as in using an air` brush for painting.l

An object of my invention is to provide an oil and Water separator which will separate the oil and water from the air, but which will not interfere with the normal operation of the device.

A further obj ect of my invention is to provide a device of the type described in whichthe moisture or oil laden air is brought into contact with a roll of wire gauze, and in which means is provided for quickly centering the gauze and for spacing it in such a manner that the air will have access to a very large surface.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device for separating oil and water from air, in which the roll of wire gauze may be removed, cleaned, recentered and replaced without the necessity of disconnecting the pipes which lead to the separator.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, .and the novel features of the invention will be particularl pointed out in the appended claims.

y invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through the separator,

Figure 2 is a section along the line 2--2 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a view, partly in section, showing the manner in which the separator is connected up.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a casing 1 which is preferably in the form of a casting of any suitable material. This casing, as it will be observed, has a boss 2 at one side thereof provided Vwith a threaded inlet opening 3. Un the opposite side is a boss 4 provided with a threaded drain opening 5. On the interior of the casing is an inwardly extending annular flange 6.

The inner Wall of the casing is reduced and 1s threaded at 7 to receive a threaded portion 8. The latter has an integral cylindrical portion 9, which, when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 1, extends toward an opening in the end of the casing. The cylindrical portion 9 is provided with openings 11 in the side walls thereof and has an end portion 12.

Below the threaded portion 8 there is an integral extension 13 provided with openings 14 and the extension 13 joins an end portion 15 which is provided with a threaded opening 16 and with a flanged portion 17. A gasket 18 is interposed bet-Ween the iange 17 and the adjacent portion of the casing 1.

Surrounding the cylindrical member 9 and spaced therefrom is a roll of Wire gauze 19 having a plurality of layers. It will be observed that the cylindrical member 9 is iared out at its bottom where it joins the body portion 8.

In order to center the roll of wire gauze, I provide a cap 20 having an annular iange 21 which lits over the top 12 and spaces the gauze from the cylindrical member 9. A screw 22 bears on the cap 20 and passes through a threaded opening in the end member 12. i

In Figure 3 I have shown how the device is connected up. A pipe 23 from any suitable source of compressed air is connected to the inlet 3 of the separator, While an outlet pipe 24 is connected at the opening 10 at the end of the casing 1. A -drampipe 25 communicates with the opening 1.6 and lis provided with a valve 26. A dralnplpe 27 communicates with the opening 5, and` in this particular instance I have shown this pipe as having a water seal or trap28.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operatlon thereof mayl be readily understood. The compressed air from any suitable source passes through the pipe 23, through the inlet 3 and i into the interior through the openings 14, thence upwardly. through the cylinder 9, through the openings 11 and'through the several layers of the screen. In passing through the screen, the air is caused to take vapor contained in the compressed air.

that the device Works much more eliiciently where the gauze cylinder is separated from the cylindrical extension 9, since this appears to give the air a chance to get at a greater surface of the gauze than when the latter is immediately adjacent the openings 11.

One feature to which I desire to call particular attention is the fact that the gauze extends below the openings 11 into what is practically a dead-air space. I have found that this tends to greatly facilitate the condensation of moisture and it appears to be one of the main features for the eflici-ent operation of the device. That this is true is quite clearly brought out by an experiment in which holes were drilled through the cylinder 9 near the base thereof, whereby a current of air was created near the bottom portion of the roll of wire gauze in that space below the lower edge of the openings 11. With such lower openings present, there was not the concentration of moisture, but the additional air stream seemed to take up that moisture which collected on the lower part of the gauze cylinder and carried it off instead o permitting it to drain away. Furthermore, I have found that if air is permitted to pass downwardly through the space below the lower edge of the openings l1 and out of the drain pipe, there will be less'condensation of the moisture. It is for the purpose of preventing the flow of air through the drainpipe that I preferably use a trap like that shown in Figure 3 or other similar device which closes off the end of the drainpipe so' as to make the space below the lower ends of the openings 1l in fact a dead-air space. Y

The linwardly extending flange 6 tends to forestall the possibility of any of the oil or water creeping up the walls of the separator and tends to confine the condensation within thatpart of the interior of the casing below the flange.

Of course some of the water or oil wil condense in the interior of the cylindrical member 9 and also the body portion 8, and this will run down into the drainpipe 25. At intervals, the valve 26 may be manipulated to drain off whatever water or oil have accumulated.

If at any time the screen should become clogged and it should be desirable to replace the screen or to clean it, it may be done by unscrewing the interior cylindrical member,

whereupon the screen and the cylinder may be instantly removed. The screen may be removed by removing the plate 20, and a new one can be placed on or the used screen cleaned and replaced. It can be centered before being replaced in the casing l. This I regard as an important feature because it is necessary, as stated, that the screen be spaced from the cylinder to work with the greatest efficiency. The spacing of the screen can be observed before it is replaced so that, when the central member 8 is screwed into the position shown in Figurel, the screen will be at the screen surrounding said cylinder and spaced therefrom, means carried by the cylinder at one end for retaining and spacing the screen, a threaded portion integral with said cylinder and arranged to engage the interior walls of the casing for supporting the cylinder in position, the lower edge of the screen being carried upon said threaded portion, and an integral extension having openings in communication with the air inlet and being provided with a flange arranged to abut against one end of said casing. Y

2. Avseparator, comprising a casing having an air outlet ab one end and being open at the other end, said casing being provided with an air inlet in the side wall thereof near said opening and with a liquid-drain outlet, the interior wall of the casing having a threaded portion between the air inlet and the air outlet, a hollow member having a threaded portion arranged to engage the threaded walls to cut off direct communication between the air inlet and the interior of the casing, said hollow member having Openings in the walls thereof in communication with the air inlet, a hollow cylindrical portion integral with said hollow member, said cylindrical portionhaving one end closed and being ,provided with openings in its side walls near the closed end, a cylinder of wire gauze consisting of a plurality of layers, the lower end of said wire gauze resting upon the threaded portion of said hollow member, a centering plate having an annular spacing flange, said centering plate being secured to the end of said cylindrical portion, an eX- tension integral with said hollow. member,

Said extension having an integral flange arranged to abut against the end of said casing, and a central bossv integral with said lastnamed flange and being provided with a drain opening.

3. A separator, comprising a casing having an air inlet atone side and a liquid outlet at the bottom, said casing being provided with a central cylindrical extension, closed at its top and having a plurality of openings A in the side Walls thereof, a screen consisting of a cylinder of Wire gauze, one end of said screen arranged to receive a portion of the Walls of said extension and to be centered thereby, said extension having a reduced portion for spacing the screen from the major portion of the extension, a plate having a beveled annular flange arranged to fit over the upper end of said extension and to space the upper end of said screen from the-extension, means for securing the plate in position, an inwardly extending annular flange carried by s^aid casing and surrounding said screen near the upper part thereof, and a drain pasp sage leading from the space between said screen and the casing Wall for draining liquid condensed in' said space.

4. A separator, comprising a casing having an air inlet at one side and a liquid outlet at the bottom, said casing being provided with a central cylindrical extension, closed at its top and having a plurality of openings` in the side Walls thereof, a Screen consisting of a cylinder of Wire gauze, one end of said screen being arranged to receive a portion of thewalls of said extension and to be centered thereby, said extension having a reduced portion for spacing the screen from the major portion of the extension, means secured to the top of the extension for centering and spacing the screen with respect to the cylindrical extension, and an inwardly extending annular flange carried by said casing and surrounding said screen near the upper end thereof. l Y

5. A separator, comprising a casing having an air inlet at one side and a liquid outlet at the bottom, said casing being provided with a central cylindrical extension, closed at its top and having a plurality o f openings in the side Walls thereof, a screen consisting of a cylinder of wire gauze, one end of said screen being arranged to receive a portion of the Walls of said extension and to be centered thereby, said extension having a reduced portion for spacing the screen from the major portion of the extension, and means secured tothe top of the extension for centering and spacing the screen with respect to the cylindrical extension.

EMIL H. STEPHAN. 

